Montag, 18. Oktober 2010

The Antigua and Barbuda government says it's building a
defence against a lawsuit brought by the Stanford Victims which is
seeking to recover financial losses as a result of the fall
of Allen Stanford's empire.

Attorney General Justin Simon says the administration has
instructed its lawyers from Texas who recently visited the island.

The Stanford investors want US$24 billion in compensation -
three times the amount the businessman is alleged to have
defrauded customers out of.

The Stanford Victims alleges that government has benefited
from Stanford's investments and, on that basis, should compensate
the members for their losses.

"Government is looking at whether that action is sustainable
against a sovereign state and the whole issue as to whether or
not there was a commercial enterprise in which the government
participated with Stanford would first of all have to be
established," a statement from the government said.

The Attorney General noted, though, that there were very few
actual engagements between Stanford and the United Progressive
Party (UPP) administration and it is hoped that, with the
information given to the lawyers, the lawsuit would be dismissed.

The Stanford investors want US$24 billion in compensation -
three times the amount the businessman is alleged to have defrauded
customers out of.

They have also filed another lawsuit, in which the Eastern
Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) is also named, accusing the regional
institution of unlawfully seizing Stanford's Bank of Antigua
(BOA) after news of his charges caused a run on the bank and
threatened its stability.

The Attorney General says no papers have been served in relation to that matter.

BOA officially becomes the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank
(ECAB) from today, owned by the government of Antigua and Barbuda
and five of the largest Eastern Caribbean banks - Antigua
Commercial Bank (ACB), St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Ltd,
Eastern Caribbean Financial Holdings Company Ltd, National
Commercial Bank (SVG) Ltd and National Bank of Dominica Ltd.

Antigua and Barbuda has 40 percent interest in ECAB - 25 per
cent belonging to government and the remaining 15 percent allocated
to ACB; while each of the other four banks have 15 percent
share.